French authorities have arrested six individuals after a large Palestinian flag was flown from the Eiffel Tower without official permission, according to police sources.
The flag was draped from the first floor of the iconic Paris landmark on Friday afternoon in an action later claimed by Extinction Rebellion France.
The activist group said the demonstration was intended as a “message of support” for Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
A spokesperson for the organisation accused Israel of carrying out “massacres” in Gaza and alleged environmental destruction, including the uprooting of olive trees on Palestinian land.
The protest was deliberately staged to coincide with Nakba Day, an annual event marking the displacement of Palestinians during the creation of the Israeli state in 1948.
The Eiffel Tower has repeatedly become a symbolic site linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent years.
In September, the flags of both Israel and Palestine, along with peace symbols including a dove and olive branch, were projected onto the monument ahead of France’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
Earlier, in October 2023, the tower was illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag following attacks launched by Hamas against Israel.
According to official Israeli figures compiled by AFP, the October 2023 Hamas attack killed 1,221 people, most of them civilians.
Israel’s military response in Gaza has since resulted in the deaths of more than 72,700 people, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Although a ceasefire agreement was reached in October, violence has continued across Gaza, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the truce.